[drgenie]

Anyone ever tear their RC?<br>
What does the pain feel like, i.e. sharp, dull ache, weakness, and where is it located (specifically I mean, I know it's the shoulder)<br><br>
Is there any way to rehab it without having to have surgery? I have really had enough of that lately and I think that's what this is. OW.

 

[toe jam on crusty feet]

Was there an exact moment where you were like,"Ow! Ruh roh"......that would indicate a full tear, maybe. Or was it something that slowly got worse?

 

[coacht]

I dislocated my left shoulder once and tore 3 out of the 4 cuffs. It was intense throbbing pain - both in the front and the back of my shoulder in my case. I went through extensive rehab - lots of strengthening exercises, but no surgery. Of course I had no major league pitching career to speak of prior to my injury. Now, it's just more sore than my right shoulder when I lift.

 

[mmoonptdeux]

Usually the pain is the front to the top of the shoulder when you tear a RC muscle.<br><br>
I had one of those right shoulders which already had its problems since I was a kid - if I threw a ball or other object too hard, I could dislocate my shoulder. In the late 90s, I compounded that by tearing one of my rotator cuffs in my right shoulder preetty severely - as I didn't have any health insurance at the time, I didn't get it checked out by a doctor.<br><br>
I couldn't raise my arm over shoulder level a couple months (actually started learning to throw with my left hand as a result) and it took me about 9 months before I lift the arm completely overhead without pain. Now that I'm more or less recovered, I work on strengthening exercises on the RC muscles almost every weight session.<br><br>
Based on my experience, if it's not a complete tear, you probably can rehab it without surgery but it'll take awhile to fully heal up. However, if this has been lingering for awhile and has become chronic, surgery might be your best option.

 

[drgenie]

Thanks guys......I had my last PT today for my knee so I asked the therapist about it. He lifted and poked and prodded and said it was possible that's what the pain was from. I see the ortho doc for a checkup in a couple weeks so I'll ask her what she thinks too. He gave me a couple exercises I can do at home to see if that helps.<br><br>
Becca, to answer your question, no pop like with my knee. It first started bothering me a couple years ago when I was swimming a lot (I swim primarily backstroke which obviously counter-rotates the arm anyway) and lifting more (usually more than I should be) so I stopped doing both. It got better but still bothered me during some yoga moves.<br>
Lately I started lifting again and I'm sure I was using too much weight, plus I helped a friend move on Monday so I was lifting a lot of heavy furniture and boxes. The pain is the same as it was last time, so that's why I was worried. Unless it's just a strain, which he said it could be too. I have mobility but it's painful in all the "right" places.<br><br>
Moon & Coach, what kind of exercises are/were you doing to strengthen?<br>
Becca, you posted a website a while ago (I think it was you) that had PT info, do you remember which it was?

 

[Ileneforward]

I've got one. Left shoulder. They did an MRI to determine if I need surgery (I do).<br>
Just out patient arthroscopic, then a sling for 4 to 6 weeks and PT afterwards.<br>
It is a dull ache all of the time, worse if I sleep on that side or lift anything with that arm.

 

[mmoonptdeux]

I work mainly on the external rotators (the teres minor & infraspinatus) by doing the two exercises at the following link:<br><a href="http://www.bullz-eye.com/furci/2004/exercise_of_month/external_rotation.htm" target="_blank">http://www.bullz-eye.com/furci/2004/...l_rotation.htm</a><br>
(note: on the first exercise, most people recommend placing a rolled-up towel or something similar between your body and the arm in order to keep the upper arm in place while doing the rotation.)<br><br>
I tore my supraspinatus, so I target that muscle specifically with this exercise<br><a href="http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Supraspinatus/DBFrontLateralRaise.html" target="_blank">http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...eralRaise.html</a><br><br>
Keep the weights very light - you won't need much to tire these muscles out, even as they grow stronger.

 

[fatmantrying]

Do you know what caused it?<br><br>
This sounds like my right shoulder and I have no idea what caused it.

 

[drgenie]

Well, this is interesting. I forgot to come back and post last week. I went to the chiropractor's on Monday, and I swear by this guy, he has fixed just about everything wrong with me that no one else could figure out. He puts me on the table after he does the ROM stuff and shoves down on my shoulder and CRACK. Apparently, my SHOULDER was out of alignment. Not the old "your spine is crooked so that is your problem" although that was out of whack too, I could tell from the back & neck pain. But the actual shoulder itself was out.<br><br>
I had a suspicion that something else was wrong because it kept "catching" when I was doing yoga and not wanting to move right. He told me he could see my collarbone sticking out funny before he did whatever he did. And I got the regular adjustment and my neck pain is finally better (and my sinuses are clear again!) too.<br><br>
Shoulder is still sore at night but nothing like it was. He did tell me it was likely an RC injury and lectured me sorely on lifting too much weight. I did lift later this week with the wussiest dumbbells EVER but with very little pain and it didn't hurt afterwards either. I guess I really DO have to start over. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/forum/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Sad"><br><br>
I wonder if it was being on the crutches back in the summer that messed up my alignment? I just thought of that as I was typing this.

 

[tpenn40]

Make sure you work your rear delts and don't get an imbalance in your shoulder development. Most people only work the anterior delts (bench press) and the maybe the medial delts (side laterals), but leave off the posterior delts (bent over side laterals, upright rows)<br><br>
Make sure you don't try to "work through the pain" when it comes to this type of shoulder injury because you could tear something and have to have surgery. I believe chiropractors can help a lot of things, but some things are outside of their scope and if youhave a tear or a spur they can't help you much.<br><br>
I've had rotator cuff surgery and it's not fun, but I'm really glad I had it. I had a torn rotator cuff and a bone spur which wouldn't have gotten better without surgery. (I tried all kinds of physical therapy but nothing helped for long).<br><br>
Good luck to you!<br><br>
You could have a spur which

 

[drgenie]

That's what he said too, to work all three areas: lateral raises, front laterals and bent overs. I'm pretty good about that when I'm lifting regularly. I think what aggravated this was trying to lift too much after a long layoff. I'm going to keep an eye on it and gauge how much better or worse it gets over the next couple months. I don't have medical insurance right now so I'm doing what I can on my own but if it doesn't get any better I'll deal with it then.

 

[RichMac]

ILENEFORWARD I tore both rotator cuffs - mine was a little more extensive as I also partially detached my biceps.<br>
Just had the outpatient surgery for the repair.. The way you write it up, would make me and I'm thinking others think that this is pretty simple surgery.. and not painful..<br>
Well let me tell you that for the first week to ten days.. the pain level is pretty high.. they also recommend that you sleep sitting up, preferably in a recliner. As for the shoulder block if you don't have a high pain tolerance.. it's a constant type of pain med that you can have for the first week.. I didn't think I would need it.. but when I have the other shoulder worked on I will.<br>
Good luck with the surgery, and please google the surgery and follow ups..